Secrets

Yuto stepped aside, let the bothersome man in, then properly closed the door behind him once more so they wouldn’t be disturbed again. Kana rubbed at her eyes and her face, but there was no denying that she had been crying.

“Sit down. Do you want anything to drink?” she asked.

“No, you sit,” Yuto immediately countered. “I’m making the drinks.”

Kana was left on the couch with Sakuya, but they weren’t actually alone. Since the cafe was so small, it was impossible Yuto wouldn’t overhear them from behind the counter. It was just as well. Kana felt safe with Yuto around, always had. Sakuya awkwardly scratched his head, the silence stretching.

“I’m just going to ask: Did you know Haruki would come here?” Kana asked.

“Haru-kun? What? Why? When?”

“Obviously earlier today. Why else would we have this situation now?” Yuto said, putting down a glass of lemonade on the table next to Kana.

Just then a person knocked on the door, confused why the cafe would be closed on a Wednesday morning. Yuto shook his head at them and bowed as an apology. The woman shrugged and kept on walking.

“Haru-kun came here? And you… Why?”

“You really don’t know, do you?” Yuto said.

“I told you he doesn’t,” Kana said. “You have a phone, right? Search for his and my name together. I’ll give you a minute. I’m really too tired to explain this again.”

Confused, Sakuya picked up his phone and did as he was told. The way his eyes widened and his mouth fell open told Kana that he was looking at the correct articles. Articles that had nothing good to say about her at all. She’d known that this would come up if she was ever interested in someone—and be a major roadblock—but that this someone was actually so closely connected to Haruki was… well. Just her luck. Sometimes Sakuya would glance at Kana while he was reading, observing her slowly sipping her favourite lemonade. Yuto knew just how to get her mood up.

A long ten minutes later, Sakuya finally slumped back in his seat, eyes closed, phone dropped.

“Yeah, so, if you want to leave, I won’t stop you,” Kana said. “It might be for the better.”

“Why should I?”

Kana frowned. “Well, you’ve read conclusive evidence of my wrongdoings, I suppose.”

“What’s on those sites is neither your, nor is it his side of the story. No matter if it’s true or not, it will change how I see Haru-kun from today on, so I’d rather talk about it properly.”

Yuto whistled and received a glare from both of them, so he turned back to the coffee machine.

“I didn’t think you’d stay,” Kana said.

“Well, it concerns my band as well.”

“I suppose that’s true. So what do you want to know?”

Sakuya sighed. “Is it true?”

“The part about us being a couple? Yeah. We were, for a while. I was a solo artist at your agency at the time. Not super successful, but getting by. Haruki was part of another group back then.”

“Monsters.”

“That’s the one. He quit the group after the whole thing went down.”

Sakuya crossed his arms. “I knew that. But the reasons were just listed as ‘personal’, so I didn’t do much more digging. There was fan disappointment, but not much negative press around it that was mentioned.”

“Haruki approached me first. I thought he was very charming. We couldn’t make our relationship public—not even to the agency, so it went down in secret. What no one knew is that Haruki had another girlfriend, who wasn’t part of the entertainment industry at all. She found out. Outed us. To keep his career, Haruki claimed I seduced him. I contradicted him. I didn’t… I didn’t know about his other girlfriend. Well, the agency pressured me, and this is the result.”

Kana opened her arms and gestured to all of the shop.

“Cafe Adagio. I got the place with the money they paid me to keep quiet. Haruki was more successful than me, had more potential in their eyes. It came down to the money. Cutting me off was easier.”

Sakuya stared like Kana had just told him that aliens were real.

“He didn’t…” Sakuya stammered.

“He did,” Yuto said. “Though if you ask him, he will deny it. But if you do talk to him about it, take the chance to tell him to never come back here. Here’s not welcome in Adagio or my life.”

Kana’s tears had dried by then, fear and frustration replaced by the resignation that dominated her life during the last years. The deep emptiness that spread through her chest when she remembered how easily she had been dropped and how no one had even missed her. It didn’t feel bad. It felt like nothing, just a large, empty space where an emotion was supposed to be.

Sometimes the void grew so large it almost swallowed her.

“You don’t seem like the type of person to lie about something like this,” Sakuya said.

“First sensible thing you said all day,” Yuto added.

“My biggest regret is signing that document and taking the fall. It gave legitimacy to their… to his lies. Now I can’t even dispute them. So you’re free to believe whatever you want,” Kana said and sighed. “Too bad. I actually think you’re quite cute.”

Sakuya’s cheeks blushed as pink as his hair. “You think so?”

“That’s what you take away from all that??” Kana actually laughed and hit him with one of the cushions.

“Well, yeah. I think you’re very cute too.”

“Alright, shut it, you two,” Yuto said. “You’re up to date now, Sakuya. Can I ask you to leave so we can close up properly for today? I’m taking Kana to relax after all this stupid drama.”

“But I… oh shit. My lunch break is already over. My manager is gonna kill me.”

Sakuya jumped up from the couch. He looked at Kana, who looked back with a tearstained face, yet she was still so beautiful.

“I promise to think everything through thoroughly,” he said. “And… I don’t know if I’ll talk to Haruki yet, to be honest.”

“You do what you think is best,” Kana said.

“Alright, then.”

Sakuya hesitated for a moment, then bent down and gave Kana a light kiss on the cheek before he bolted.

“That kid…” Yuto mumbled.

“You’re only a year older.”

“Doesn’t change anything. He’s still a kid. Do you think it was wise to tell him everything?”

“He’ll find out sooner or later. I’d rather he hear it from me first than through Haruki’s poisoned words.”

Yuto nodded. “You may be right. Now, what do you want to do for the rest of the day?”

“We’re really keeping the shop closed?”

“Family emergency. Can’t be helped. How about the cinema? I bet you haven’t been outside the house in weeks. I’ll be there with you.”

Kana took a deep breath. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea. Thank you.”

“No need to thank me.”

“No, Yuto, look at me. Thank you. Really.”

“Now you’re making me blush.”